(no subject)
Title: Patience
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Warnings: Post-Deathly Hallows, spoilers through the end of the book
Ted Lupin, who had decided by the time he got to Hogwarts that only family-and-friends got to call him Teddy, thanksverymuch, was not much given to fidgeting, so the fact that he was fidgeting as he sat outside of Professor Longbottom's office was a sign of how uncomfortable being there made him. He'd have felt better if he'd been waiting to talk to a professor who wasn't a friend of the family, or if he were here for a different reason. As it was, Professor Longbottom was going to call him Teddy while lecturing him, and there wasn't even a chance that Harry wasn't going to hear what his godson had been up to.
The door finally opened, and the other boys trooped out sullenly; Kevin Barclay shot a dirty look in Teddy's direction, but wasn't about to say anything with Professor Longbottom right there. Teddy stared back at him defiantly, then stood and moved towards the office door when a voice called "In you come, then, Lupin."
Neville Longbottom was standing in front of his desk, leaning against it with his arms folded, but he gave an encouraging smile as he nodded toward a chair. Teddy's hair had been red when Neville broke up the fight; he noted that it was back to blue now, but dull and muted.
"I just had to take forty points from my own house," he said, amiably. "Kevin Barclay swears you attacked him, and the others back him up, but four against one isn't the kind of odds I like. Want to give me your side of things, Teddy?"
"Well, I did punch him," Teddy admitted. "But, Professor..."
Neville nodded patiently. "Go on."
There was a moment's silence, and then Teddy said, very quietly, "We talked about werewolves in Defense Against the Dark Arts today."
"Ah," Neville said, and then, "Professor Bones didn't...say anything that made you uncomfortable, did she?"
"No," Teddy replied at once, and then, "Well--nothing bad. The lecture was brilliant, actually, she talked about how people treated them just like animals for so long, but now people interested in werewolf rights are actually getting listened to, and all. And then--" he paused again, feeling color creep into his face, "She mentioned my dad, and how he only got to teach here one year, even though she said he was the best Defense teacher Hogwarts had for a long time."
"He was, you know," Neville said quietly, bringing Teddy's pleased embarrassment up another notch. "Best until Susan herself got the job, if you ask me. So, the lecture went all right--but the fight happened after?"
Teddy nodded. "Barclay and his friends...they knew better than to say anything in front of Professor Bones, I guess. But they followed me after class, and--" he looked down and clenched his fists in his lap, angry again now. "They know about my mum too, you know? First year, I just told everyone, so I wouldn't have people asking about my hair all the time. I didn't think--"
Neville shifted and leaned forward, placing one hand on the boy's shoulder. "Teddy, what did he say?"
Teddy had to breath deep for a moment before he could go on, and wouldn't look at Neville as he did. "Barclay said my parents were both freaks, and if my mum was less of a freak than my dad, that just made her stupider for marrying him."
Neville was absolutely still for a long moment. Then, he moved to crouch in front of the boy, both hands on Teddy's shoulders now.
"Hey. Come on, look at me," he said, and when the boy did, "You too big for a hug yet? I lose track these days."
"I don't need a hug, Professor," Teddy protested, even as he was startled into a smile.
"Suit yourself," Neville told him, straightening. "So, Barclay said that, and then you punched him?"
Teddy nodded, jaw set in a stubborn line. Neville let out a sigh, and, instead of going back to leaning against the desk, pulled another chair over and sat.
"Five points from Ravenclaw for being the first to get violent, and between the two of us, I'd've done the same," he said quietly. "Ted--you know your parents weren't freaks, don't you?"
"Of course I know that!" Teddy said, voice rising. "Doesn't mean I'm just going to listen to--"
"No, but if you go around slugging anyone who says a word against werewolves, you're going to spend more time in detention than your godfather ever did, not to mention getting very sore knuckles. Fighting's not--well, all right, sometimes fighting is the right way to go. But you need to learn when to fight, and when to hold back. All right?"
"All right," Teddy replied, but it was half-hearted at best.
Neville looked at him for a moment, and then touched him on the shoulder again. "Look, I know it's rough for you sometimes, and not just because your dad was a werewolf. It's not easy growing up without your parents, I understand that--"
"Everyone says they understand that," Teddy muttered rebelliously.
Neville sighed again, but said patiently, "People say it, yes. Not everyone knows from experience."
Teddy looked up at that, surprised. "You--Professor, I didn't--"
Neville shrugged. "I don't exactly advertise it."
"Did they die in the first war, like Harry's parents?" Teddy asked, and blushed again as soon as the question was out of his mouth. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking--"
"It's all right," Neville said, though his face had fallen at the boy's words. "No--my mum's still alive, and my dad only died three years ago. But I never saw them very often, growing up."
Teddy blinked, puzzled now. "Can I ask why not?"
Neville gave him an appraising look. The boy's eyes, when he hadn't changed them, were his father's; Neville could remember Remus Lupin looking at him with more understanding than many of his teachers had ever shown, confident that when asked a question, Neville only needed patience and time to be able to provide the right answer.
There was no understanding in Teddy Lupin's eyes--not yet--but there was patience, and a willingness to understand.
"You can," he said finally, getting to his feet. "But first, I don't know about you, but if I'm going to tell this story, I'm going to need tea."
Fandom: Harry Potter
Rating: PG
Warnings: Post-Deathly Hallows, spoilers through the end of the book
Ted Lupin, who had decided by the time he got to Hogwarts that only family-and-friends got to call him Teddy, thanksverymuch, was not much given to fidgeting, so the fact that he was fidgeting as he sat outside of Professor Longbottom's office was a sign of how uncomfortable being there made him. He'd have felt better if he'd been waiting to talk to a professor who wasn't a friend of the family, or if he were here for a different reason. As it was, Professor Longbottom was going to call him Teddy while lecturing him, and there wasn't even a chance that Harry wasn't going to hear what his godson had been up to.
The door finally opened, and the other boys trooped out sullenly; Kevin Barclay shot a dirty look in Teddy's direction, but wasn't about to say anything with Professor Longbottom right there. Teddy stared back at him defiantly, then stood and moved towards the office door when a voice called "In you come, then, Lupin."
Neville Longbottom was standing in front of his desk, leaning against it with his arms folded, but he gave an encouraging smile as he nodded toward a chair. Teddy's hair had been red when Neville broke up the fight; he noted that it was back to blue now, but dull and muted.
"I just had to take forty points from my own house," he said, amiably. "Kevin Barclay swears you attacked him, and the others back him up, but four against one isn't the kind of odds I like. Want to give me your side of things, Teddy?"
"Well, I did punch him," Teddy admitted. "But, Professor..."
Neville nodded patiently. "Go on."
There was a moment's silence, and then Teddy said, very quietly, "We talked about werewolves in Defense Against the Dark Arts today."
"Ah," Neville said, and then, "Professor Bones didn't...say anything that made you uncomfortable, did she?"
"No," Teddy replied at once, and then, "Well--nothing bad. The lecture was brilliant, actually, she talked about how people treated them just like animals for so long, but now people interested in werewolf rights are actually getting listened to, and all. And then--" he paused again, feeling color creep into his face, "She mentioned my dad, and how he only got to teach here one year, even though she said he was the best Defense teacher Hogwarts had for a long time."
"He was, you know," Neville said quietly, bringing Teddy's pleased embarrassment up another notch. "Best until Susan herself got the job, if you ask me. So, the lecture went all right--but the fight happened after?"
Teddy nodded. "Barclay and his friends...they knew better than to say anything in front of Professor Bones, I guess. But they followed me after class, and--" he looked down and clenched his fists in his lap, angry again now. "They know about my mum too, you know? First year, I just told everyone, so I wouldn't have people asking about my hair all the time. I didn't think--"
Neville shifted and leaned forward, placing one hand on the boy's shoulder. "Teddy, what did he say?"
Teddy had to breath deep for a moment before he could go on, and wouldn't look at Neville as he did. "Barclay said my parents were both freaks, and if my mum was less of a freak than my dad, that just made her stupider for marrying him."
Neville was absolutely still for a long moment. Then, he moved to crouch in front of the boy, both hands on Teddy's shoulders now.
"Hey. Come on, look at me," he said, and when the boy did, "You too big for a hug yet? I lose track these days."
"I don't need a hug, Professor," Teddy protested, even as he was startled into a smile.
"Suit yourself," Neville told him, straightening. "So, Barclay said that, and then you punched him?"
Teddy nodded, jaw set in a stubborn line. Neville let out a sigh, and, instead of going back to leaning against the desk, pulled another chair over and sat.
"Five points from Ravenclaw for being the first to get violent, and between the two of us, I'd've done the same," he said quietly. "Ted--you know your parents weren't freaks, don't you?"
"Of course I know that!" Teddy said, voice rising. "Doesn't mean I'm just going to listen to--"
"No, but if you go around slugging anyone who says a word against werewolves, you're going to spend more time in detention than your godfather ever did, not to mention getting very sore knuckles. Fighting's not--well, all right, sometimes fighting is the right way to go. But you need to learn when to fight, and when to hold back. All right?"
"All right," Teddy replied, but it was half-hearted at best.
Neville looked at him for a moment, and then touched him on the shoulder again. "Look, I know it's rough for you sometimes, and not just because your dad was a werewolf. It's not easy growing up without your parents, I understand that--"
"Everyone says they understand that," Teddy muttered rebelliously.
Neville sighed again, but said patiently, "People say it, yes. Not everyone knows from experience."
Teddy looked up at that, surprised. "You--Professor, I didn't--"
Neville shrugged. "I don't exactly advertise it."
"Did they die in the first war, like Harry's parents?" Teddy asked, and blushed again as soon as the question was out of his mouth. "I mean, if you don't mind me asking--"
"It's all right," Neville said, though his face had fallen at the boy's words. "No--my mum's still alive, and my dad only died three years ago. But I never saw them very often, growing up."
Teddy blinked, puzzled now. "Can I ask why not?"
Neville gave him an appraising look. The boy's eyes, when he hadn't changed them, were his father's; Neville could remember Remus Lupin looking at him with more understanding than many of his teachers had ever shown, confident that when asked a question, Neville only needed patience and time to be able to provide the right answer.
There was no understanding in Teddy Lupin's eyes--not yet--but there was patience, and a willingness to understand.
"You can," he said finally, getting to his feet. "But first, I don't know about you, but if I'm going to tell this story, I'm going to need tea."